Burger King Boots The Baby For No Baby Boots

     What have we done? What is this planet coming to? What a world, what a world. This is more on my recent 'Acting Stupidly' observations. A Missouri Burger King manager told a woman she could not eat in the restaurant with her barefooted 6 month old baby. When the woman put socks on the baby to try to placate the manager, he threatened to call the police if she didn't leave. Good grief. Tell me this didn't really happen...

     This has to make you wonder what kind of day the manager was having. Did he have a fight with his wife? Did his dog die? Or was it because the woman walked in with around 25 other people from her church group and he was simply overwhelmed and understaffed? Personally, I believe he acted 'stupidly'. Was he over trained or under trained? Or just an idiot?

     Ok, I'm just speculating here, but maybe this manager was a young guy, and not fully appreciative of the power his managerial position entitled him to. Such as good judgement, which he obviously lacked. Not to mention common sense which obviously has never been a requirement for managerial positions or any other position of authority for that matter.

     Again, just speculating here, (much more entertaining than just quoting facts), I can imagine the mother saying, "What? Are her feet dirty? Do you have broken glass laying around on the floor? She doesn't even walk you know. Her feet are never going to touch the floor..."

     The manager might have replied, "Excuse me, I am a highly trained professional. I've spent six months of my life training to be a manager for Burger King. We don't become 'Manager's of the Month' by breaking rules on the outside chance that they are ridiculous, unreasonable, or simply don't apply to certain individuals like your 6 month old daughter who expects special treatment simply because she can't walk. No shoes, no shirt, no service. And no exceptions."

     There is also an outside chance the manager was simply an asshole who felt his position as manager elevated him to a god like status. He wielded his power with unbending compromise and totalitarian rule that befit the crown the Burger King moniker adorns. Or, he could have simply been acting 'stupidly'.

     At any rate, Denise T Wilson of the Burger King Corporation offered this statement: "Our Franchisee, who independently owns and operates this restaurant, apologizes for this guest's experience." ... "The franchisee is retraining his restaurant team on the proper use of the "no shoes" policy. Furthermore, the franchisee is also contacting the guest to apologize about this incident."

     That's nice. I'm sure the traumatized 6 month old will fully accept the apology, as soon as she learns to walk and talk... and wear shoes...

     Seriously though, it was the right thing for Burger King to do. The manager acted stupidly and he's probably even smart enough to know how stupidly he acted. I think it'll be a while before his picture adorns the hallowed walls of the 'Manager of the Month' club.

     As a side note, I happen to like Burger King. I like Mc Donalds, Wendy's, Hardie's, I like them all. The more grease, the better. That's where the flavor is... Fried is good. Fat is good. Calories are good... No shoes is bad... Just the place I would want to take my 6 month old...

Sources: CNN, Associated Content